Networked nodes, such as smart meters in an AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) network, are configured according to configuration data stored on the nodes, where the configuration data is made up of modifiable parameters and corresponding values. Occasionally, a configuration of a node needs to be changed or otherwise set to a known value. Due to various possible limitations, transmitting a complete configuration to the node that includes the change may be impracticable. In order to successfully manage the nodes, the ability to make reliable configuration updates to a node in spite of these limitations is needed.